11-year-old Millie Iversen Gray from London was crowned the winner of Equinor’s Young Imagineers 2018 competition on Saturday 24th November 2018. Millie has designed a Solar Powered Pollution Sucking Robot Pigeon which would extract pollutants from the air, while being friendly to other birds. This year’s winner was revealed during a fun-packed day at the Science Museum, where the ten finalists, selected from nearly 1,200 submissions, presented their inventions to the Young Imagineers expert panel and a live audience.
Millie said: “When I go to see my grandparents in Suffolk and Denmark, I always think the air smells so much cleaner. I live in London and there are so many pigeons that I came up with the idea of the Solar Powered Pollution Sucking Robot Pigeon so that we could extract the pollutants from the air without disturbing the other birds in London. I want my invention to help make the air cleaner in London and the world, so we can help improve people’s health.”
Millie will now have her invention brought to life and displayed outside Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery at the Science Museum, where it will be seen by thousands of museum visitors. Millie will also be awarded an honorary position as Children’s Inspiration Officer at the museum for a day – where she will enjoy a bespoke-designed experience day. All finalists received an annual pass to Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery for their families. All runners-up received a range of Young Imagineers’ gifts.
The competition, organised by Equinor in partnership with the Science Museum, this year received a record number of entries with nearly 1,200 exceptionally creative inventions submitted from across the UK. After careful deliberation, the organisers selected the ten finalists earlier this month. The winner was then chosen by the expert panel comprised of Jill Tully, Lopa Patel, Steph McGovern, Dallas Campbell and Barry Fitzgerald.
Jill Tully, Investment Manager at Equinor Energy Ventures, said: “Having Equinor and the Science Museum bring to life Millie’s winning invention is a wonderful way of showing children that their ideas and dreams are within reach and can be turned into reality. This process has left me extremely encouraged about future generation’s potential to make the world a better place through new achievements in STEM.”
BBC Presenter Steph McGovern, said: “Children have the most wonderful imaginations and when given a chance to explore and express themselves they can blow you away with their ideas, which are always packed full of science. The Young Imagineers 2018 competition is proof that with a little bit of inspiration and encouragement, kids can come up with amazing and innovative inventions that most of us could never have dreamed of!”
Lopa Patel, Trustee of the Science Museum Group said: “I am amazed by the quality that these children have displayed with their creative entries. It is exactly what we need for a bright future under the leadership of the new generation.”
Research Scientist and superhero scientist, Barry Fitzgerald, said: “A massive well done to Millie and to all participants! The quality of the entries was phenomenally high; I’m very pleased to see Young Imagineers succeeding in getting future generations excited about the possibilities that STEM has to offer.”
About Equinor
We’re Equinor, an international energy company with a proud history. Formerly Statoil, we are 20,000 committed colleagues developing oil, gas, wind and solar energy in more than 30 countries worldwide. We’re the largest operator in Norway, among the world’s largest offshore operators, and a growing force in renewables. https://www.equinor.com/
About the Science Museum
As the home of human ingenuity, the Science Museum and its world-class collection form an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Welcoming over 3 million visitors a year, the Museum aims to make sense of the science that shapes our lives, inspiring visitors with iconic objects, award-winning exhibitions and incredible stories of scientific achievement. More information can be found at sciencemuseum.org.uk.
The competition
The Young Imagineers competition invited young people aged 7-14 years old to design the future, asking the question: What invention would you create to make tomorrow’s world a better place?
The ten most creative, imaginative and inspirational entries were shortlisted and these entrants further developed their invention with the help of a professional designer.
The winning design will be displayed outside Wonderlab: The Equinor Gallery at the Science Museum and sit alongside some of the world’s most famous inventions, objects and discoveries, where it will be seen by thousands of museum visitors every week.
The winner was announced at a fun-packed day of entertainment at the Science Museum on Saturday 24th November 2018.